Chapter 36: Photogenic Under Protest
The Chef x The Celebrity
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~ Date: June 27th – Interstellar Year 2422 ~
~ Location: The Majestic Bonghwang Estates and Luxury Resort / Production Review Wing ~
~ The Starlight District, Terra Anka PXD2422 ~
~ The Golden Dragon Star Nexus Intergalactic Empire ~
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🐦🔥 [ Phoenix ☯ POV ] 🐦🔥
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With the contracts settled, the cameras were finally waiting. Phoenix entered the briefing suite with Nuna's snack box tucked securely in his hands and his polite smile already back in place.
Bai Yu Ning escorted Phoenix into a smaller briefing suite where a curved table, water service, and three active privacy screens waited. Softer chairs. Warmer lighting. Production logos glowing faintly on the walls. Enough hidden recorders to make subtlety feel like a polite lie.
A woman in a silver-gray producer's jacket rose when he entered. "Phoenix-ssi, thank you for your patience. I am Deputy Producer Lian Qiao. I will handle your preliminary briefing before your individual production interview."
Phoenix returned her bow with practiced courtesy. "Thank you. I will be in your care."
Deputy Producer Lian gestured for him to sit, then activated the screen nearest his seat. "Today will remain mostly administrative. Contract review first, which you have already completed. Next is this preliminary briefing, followed by your individual production interview, baseline wardrobe and camera tests, scent-profile safety confirmation, and a short promotional still session. Full contestant interaction will begin after all participants clear their private reviews."
Phoenix listened with his hands folded neatly over Nuna's snack box. "Will the private reviews be recorded?"
The deputy producer's expression did not change, but the pause was just long enough to prove she had read the revised contract. "Only for internal compliance and safety verification. None of that footage is eligible for promotional use without separate approval from you."
Solaris gave a satisfied little hum through the bond.
'Paperwork battlefield victory continues.'
'Do not make battle banners yet,' Phoenix replied. 'The cameras have not started.'
Deputy Producer Lian continued. "During filming, contestants will have assigned culinary stations, a private preparation locker, standard ingredient access, and approved specialty storage. If you plan to use thesis-related ingredients, production will need a non-disclosure inventory list for safety only. The list will not be shared with other contestants."
Phoenix nodded. "That is acceptable. I can provide a safety inventory, but ingredient origins, cultivation methods, preparation details, and thesis notes remain protected under academic confidentiality and restaurant trade-secret restrictions."
"Understood," Deputy Producer Lian said, making a note. "Production will request only the required safety classifications. You may use your own ingredient labels in public footage unless a medical or allergy concern requires clarification."
She moved to the next screen. "You will also be asked about your preferred camera boundaries. We have already marked no unscheduled dressing-room filming, no private meal footage, no scent-profile commentary, and no romantic implication beyond what you personally approve on camera."
Phoenix's smile stayed gentle. "Efficient. Thank you."
"One final matter," Deputy Producer Lian said. "Your individual production interview will be recorded for internal profile assembly. Approved clips may later be used for promotional teasers, but only after review under the terms you negotiated. The interviewer will ask about your culinary philosophy, your thesis, your reason for joining the program, and your expectations for working with celebrity partners."
There it was. Celebrity partners.
Phoenix kept his expression pleasant even as one name surfaced with unreasonable clarity.
Choi Yongbok.
Solaris went noticeably quiet through the bond. Phoenix did not miss it.
... (・θ・) ...
"Then I am ready," Phoenix said.
Deputy Producer Lian smiled. "Then we will proceed to the interview room."
The individual interview room was smaller than Phoenix expected, which made it more dangerous, not less. There was no grand stage, no dramatic panel, no cheering audience to hide behind. Only a curved chair, a low table with water and tea, three discreet camera orbs, and a soft backdrop designed to feel intimate.
A warm-eyed interviewer waited beside the chair with a tablet tucked beneath one arm. She appeared young enough to seem approachable and experienced enough not to be fooled by appearances. "Phoenix-ssi," she greeted, bowing neatly. "I am Han Mireu from production profile. This will be a short private interview to help us build your contestant introduction. You may decline any question if it feels too personal."
"Thank you," Phoenix said, returning the bow. "I appreciate that."
Bai Yu Ning took her place slightly behind and to his left, close enough to assist, far enough not to intrude. Solaris settled invisibly near Phoenix's shoulder, quiet but attentive.
When the camera orbs activated, a small blue light pulsed once. Phoenix's posture softened by a calculated degree. Not too stiff. Not too eager. Polite, warm, difficult to underestimate.
The intimacy of the room did exactly what it was designed to do. It made a person want to soften. To confess. To forget that every gentle pause could be trimmed, framed, and fed to an audience hungry for meaning. Phoenix felt that pull and set his feet beneath himself, invisible armor settling into place one polite breath at a time.
Han Mireu's smile brightened. "Let us begin simply. Why did you choose to join The Chef and The Celebrity?"
Phoenix folded his hands loosely in his lap. "Because food is one of the easiest ways to reach people before they realize they are being reached. A camera can make someone curious, but a meal can make them remember. If this program allows even a few people to think differently about food, heritage, and the way we share a table, then it is worth my time."
It was a polished answer, but not an empty one. For a moment, he saw Eomeoni's hands adding rice to a bowl, Abeoji's quiet reminders, Nuna's snack box tucked beside him, Joon and Woo-Young leaning toward warmth before they understood what to call it. Food had reached him before words knew how. It had taught him, again and again, that care could be placed in someone's hands.
Han Mireu looked down at her tablet, then back up with sharper interest. "Your file mentions a doctoral thesis related to reconstructed ingredients and heritage cuisine. How much of that will viewers see?"
"Enough to understand the heart of it," Phoenix replied. "Not enough to steal the work before it is finished."
The interviewer laughed softly, but the sound held respect. "A careful answer."
"A necessary one," Phoenix said. "The dishes I make are not exact copies of ancient Earth food. They cannot be. Too much was lost. What I work with are descendants—recipes rebuilt from fragments, altered crops, family records, and memory. I want viewers to understand that preservation is not the same thing as freezing the past. Sometimes culture survives because it learns how to breathe in new air."
As he said it, something in his chest tightened with a grief too old to name. Preservation sounded noble when spoken gently into cameras. Living it was messier. It meant accepting gaps, mistranslations, missing ingredients, and recipes rebuilt from absence. It meant loving what survived without pretending loss had not happened.
For the first time, Han Mireu did not immediately ask the next question. One of the camera orbs shifted almost imperceptibly, as if leaning closer.
"That may become your introduction line," she admitted.
Phoenix's smile turned faintly amused. "Then I hope it behaves itself."
She glanced at her next prompt. "This is also a partner program. Contestants will eventually work with celebrity participants. Is there anything you hope for in a partner?"
The room remained quiet, but Phoenix felt Solaris listening hard enough that the bond seemed to hold its breath.
Phoenix let a small, thoughtful smile settle on his face. "Someone willing to listen. Cooking with another person is not only about skill. It is timing, trust, adjustment, and knowing when to lead or follow. I do not need a partner who already knows everything. I need someone who can remain calm, learn quickly, and respect the food."
Han Mireu's eyes curved. "And if that partner is Choi Yongbok?"
Phoenix's heart gave one quiet, inconvenient thud.
It should have been only a name. A famous one, yes, but still only a name. Instead, the sound of it moved through him like a key testing an old lock. Phoenix kept his breathing even and his hands loose, refusing to look toward Solaris. If his baby had gone that quiet, there was a reason, and Phoenix was not sure he was ready to know it in front of cameras.
His smile did not falter. "Then I would hope the empire's beloved Movie Emperor is as professional off-screen as he is talented on-screen. If he is willing to learn, I am willing to teach."
Solaris made no sound. Somehow, that was worse than a comment.
Han Mireu studied him for a beat, then smiled in the satisfied way of someone who had just found usable footage. "Last question for this section. What do you want viewers to remember about you after the first episode?"
Phoenix looked toward the nearest camera orb. For one moment, he let the performance fall away just enough for sincerity to show through.
The question should have been simple branding. A neat closing line. Something warm, memorable, and safe. Instead, it reached past the polished contestant sitting in the chair and touched the part of him that still remembered being hungry in ways food could not always fix.
"That food is not only fuel," he said. "It is memory. It is language. It is care. It is one person saying to another, 'I wanted you to live well, so I made something with my hands.' If viewers remember anything, I hope they remember that."
He did not say that sometimes care was the only language people believed when words failed. He did not say that a full bowl could feel like forgiveness, or that making food for someone was one of the few promises he still trusted himself to keep. Those truths were too soft for a first interview. So he let the simpler version stand and hoped it carried enough of the weight.
The room went still in a way that felt different from silence. Han Mireu lowered her tablet a fraction, professional smile softening into something real.
"Thank you, Phoenix-ssi," she said quietly. "That is all for the private interview."
Bai Yu Ning moved first, as if she had been waiting for permission to breathe. "The wardrobe and camera tests are next. After that, scent-profile safety confirmation and promotional stills."
Phoenix rose, picked up Nuna's snack box, and smoothed the line of his sleeve. "Then let us continue."
The wardrobe and baseline camera tests passed with less fuss than Phoenix expected, though one stylist made a wounded sound when he politely refused to let anyone alter his hair without explaining the product first. Bai Yu Ning looked far too pleased with herself when production obediently documented his boundaries in the styling notes.
After that came the scent-profile safety confirmation.
The room was smaller than the others and much more clinical: pale walls, filtered air, sealed ventilation panels, and three scent-neutral staff members wearing thin silver monitoring bands at their wrists. A privacy field shimmered faintly around the doorway, and the air inside held no perfume, no food, no floral cleaner—nothing that could interfere with the reading.
Phoenix's polite smile did not change, but his fingers tightened once around Nuna's snack box.
Bai Yu Ning noticed immediately. "Phoenix-ssi, this confirmation is non-invasive. No suppressant, stabilizer, calming agent, or exposure test will be administered without your verbal consent. That is already marked in your revised file."
Solaris stirred through the bond, quiet but alert. 'I am watching too, Mama.'
Phoenix let out a slow breath. "Good."
The attending safety technician bowed. "Phoenix-ssi, we are only confirming your baseline scent signature, blocker compatibility, and emergency-safe distance settings for filming. Production needs to know how close other contestants, celebrity partners, and staff can stand without creating discomfort or accidental secondary-sex stress."
"And the profile is private?" Phoenix asked.
"Restricted," the technician replied at once. "Only the medical safety officer, scent-control team, and your assigned assistant will have access. It will not be released to production editing, marketing, or celebrity participants."
Phoenix looked to Bai Yu Ning.
She met his gaze steadily. "I will personally confirm the access log after this."
That helped. Not completely, but enough. Phoenix set the snack box on the side table and stepped onto the small platform in the center of the room.
The technician's eyebrows lifted before professionalism smoothed his face again.
Phoenix noticed. Of course he noticed.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"No," the technician said quickly. Then, more carefully, "Your baseline is unusually stable for someone recently confirmed as a dominant omega. Your blockers are also integrating exceptionally well."
Solaris sounded smug. 'Naturally.'
Phoenix did not dignify that with a response.
The technician continued, "For filming, I recommend standard protective distance during ordinary interaction, no unscheduled scent-based prompts, and immediate private withdrawal if emotional stress markers rise. If celebrity partner segments require close proximity, production should request confirmation from you beforehand."
"Add that to my file," Phoenix said.
Bai Yu Ning was already typing. "Done."
For one brief moment, Phoenix felt something inside him loosen. Not trust exactly. Not yet. But the room had followed the rules he had fought for, and that mattered.
The technician bowed again. "Scent-profile safety confirmation complete. You are cleared for filming under revised privacy and consent protections."
Solaris gave a satisfied hum. 'Another battlefield survived.'
'If you start making banners, I am confiscating your snack budget,' Phoenix warned.
Solaris went silent in immediate betrayal.
Phoenix nearly smiled.
Bai Yu Ning cleared her throat delicately. "Promotional stills are next, Phoenix-ssi."
Phoenix picked up Nuna's snack box again and lifted his chin. "Then let us go be photogenic under protest."
The promotional stills room was bright enough to feel mildly accusatory. Soft white panels curved along the walls, three floating camera orbs hovered at different heights, and a styling assistant stood ready with a lint brush, an expression of reverent concentration, and the clear desire to touch his hair.
Bai Yu Ning intercepted the woman with a single polite glance. "Hair products and styling adjustments require approval first."
Phoenix smiled at his assistant. "Remind me to thank production for assigning me someone terrifyingly competent."
"I will add it to your schedule," Bai Yu Ning replied without missing a beat.
The photographer introduced herself, confirmed his preferred name, and asked for three sets of images: formal contestant profile, culinary-action stills, and relaxed promotional shots. Phoenix gave her professional warmth, a clean smile, and exactly enough charm to be useful without handing over anything too vulnerable.
Unfortunately, "exactly enough charm" still appeared to be a destructive amount. By the third shutter sequence, one camera orb had drifted closer than programmed, the photographer had gone silent with artistic focus, and Solaris was quietly vibrating with laughter through the bond.
'Mama is photogenic under protest,' Solaris declared. 'Still photogenic.'
'I am confiscating your commentary privileges,' Phoenix replied.
Solaris sounded scandalized. 'Mama cannot confiscate truth.'
By the time the final still was approved, Phoenix's smile was still intact, Bai Yu Ning had updated three boundary notes, and production had enough footage to make him look composed, mysterious, and far less annoyed than he actually felt.
All things considered, Phoenix decided, the first round of cameras had survived him admirably.
What Phoenix did not see was the approved still file routing itself through production's secure channel.
He did not see the tag attached for celebrity-side pairing review.
And somewhere else in The Majestic Bonghwang, Choi Yongbok's production schedule quietly updated with a new name.
Phoenix.
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